American President Thomas Jefferson had said, “Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom”.

While interacting with women entrepreneurs trying to create a new business and a better future, I have always maintained that to be successful, an entrepreneur needs to be wise more than clever. Also, formal education, though preferred, is not mandatory for one to be honest, and so, wise.

It hardly was a surprise when I came across Anu Singh of Goda in West Bengal’s East Burdwan district. Anu had dropped out of school in Class 4 and so did not have much formal education. But she has learnt the lessons of life.

With a loan from Village Financial Services, Anu runs a small tailoring unit in her house. She stitches women’s garments such as churidars, palazzo pants and school uniforms for young girls of her locality.

This is her moonlighting engagement, as she already works at a shop selling garments, helping the owner with sales. But unlike the common perception of moonlighting, she does not do it on the sly but has told her employer. Anu’s employer is also her biggest customer.

As it happens with any popular outlet, she hardly has time to cut and stitch at the shop. She brings the fabric home along with the measurements. There, she cuts and stitches the garments and takes them back to the shop where she works. Her employer also needs to be praised for allowing Anu to earn some extra money and improve her finances. It was his idea and he trained Anu for a year in tailoring to empower her. Anu showed the tenacity that has been helping her reap the reward for the last three or four years.

Anu’s income is the only steady one in her family. Her husband is in the fish business, but the COVID19 lockdowns and transport disruptions have created a slump. They have a ten-year-old daughter who attends school.

Anu’s long-term approach and honesty towards work show all promise of success in her entrepreneurial journey. It is never easy to balance between salaried work and a business of one’s own while keeping the employer happy, but Anu seems to have cracked the code.

We will keep a keen eye on Anu’s growth and try to extend the support we can. Her employer has also made a soft promise of handing over the business to her, once he decides to retire.

I am sure that Anu is not the only such entrepreneur among the 500,000-odd customers that VFS serves. I wish them the very best.